Chains of choice: Forging change
by Soph-Harlisan
Summary: A flying suit of armor powered by a genius. A monster full of rage that could topple buildings. Assassins and super soldiers. A thunder God. The world was changing, being forged by the mighty and the heroic. It was wrong to think that an average run of the mill human could have any effect on the outcome. Right?
Look around you.

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

But was it curiosity or greed that made humans look?

When so much is given, want is a poison that quickly takes hold.

Gripping, tugging, strangling.

Want will control you, holding you forever in its jaws.

Until you forget, that the sharks don't sleep.

* * *

 **Prologue**

"Jane look! I need it!"

The brunette at Zoey's side turned her gaze from the falling snow to look at her friend with a frown. Zoey simply widened her smile at her friend's obvious look of disapproval.

"Zoe, you are 29 years old, yet I see kids in this street behaving more maturely than you," Jane said with a sigh.

Zoe remained grinning. "But it's Christmas," she replied, "I'm allowed." Looping her arm through Jane's, Zoe dragged the brunette, who only grumbled once before allowing herself to be tugged through the busy street.

New York was busy at the best of times, but with only ten days before the 25th of December, the streets were practically heaving. Disgruntled shoppers bustled along the grey walkways, heads tucked into scarves and coats, horns beeped in an almost constant rhythm and from every shop window there was a display of blinking lights and fluffy fake snow.

Zoe loved it. Instead of burying her head into the new coat she had brought just yesterday, she lifted her eyes upwards, allowing the fat fluffy flakes of snow to hit her cheeks.

"We got much more to do, I could really use a warm coffee right about now," Jane spoke up from at Zoe's side. Compared to Zoey, Jane had nearly all her skin tucked as tightly into her clothing as possible; hands dug deep into pockets and her scarf was pulled right up against her nose, so only a pair of brown eyes could be seen peeking out from in-between hat and scarf.

"Just want to look at this one last thing," Zoe replied, stifling a laugh at her friend's expense. The two finally made it to the display that had caught Zoey's attention in the first place.

The baker's window was lit up like every window in the street, with little white fairy lights hanging around the frame. On the shelf behind the window pane, snow was made out of soft white felt and curled around the edges of a magnificent gingerbread house that had a fence made out of red and white striped candy canes. Frosting dripped from the roof, solid enough to look like icicles and in the window one could even make out a head of a gingerbread woman.

"It's beautiful," Zoe whispered in an almost reverent tone.

"That is kind of awesome," Jane agreed.

"I need it," Zoe repeated her earlier sentiment. Beside her, Jane groaned. "You would give up before you even made the platform," Jane admonished.

"Yeah." Zoe tore her eyes from the gingerbread house. "That's why I'm going to buy one." Laughing at the look of exasperation evident in Jane's eyes, Zoe turned towards the Bakery's entrance only to have the wind knocked out of her as a child barrelled straight into her stomach.

"Zoe! You okay? Scram kid."

Zoe allowed herself a few gasping breaths before she straightened up. "You okay?" Jane asked again.

"Sure," Zoe answered, rubbing her stomach lightly. "Just, wow, that kid sure packs a wallop." She reached down to her bag that she had strung over her shoulder and looking inside. Yep, her purse was still there, you could never know with New York kids.

"So where were we," she brightened with a smile over to Jane who was still looking slightly concerned. "That's right." Zoe turned on her heels. "Gingerbread house."

"I'm not going to be able to dissuade you from this am I?" she heard Jane sigh from behind her, apparently over her concern and back to adopting her usual manner when dealing with Zoe; fond exasperation.

"You know me too well to try," Zoe happily agreed.

Ordering and purchasing a gingerbread house was actually more simpler than she had thought it would be. All she had to do was give some small specifications and give them a week to fill out the order before coming to pick it up. Happy with how the whole process had gone, Zoe and Jane stepped back out into the street.

"Please say whatever you have planned next involves warmth and caffeine," Jane said while rubbing her hands together.

"My place is closer," Zoe agreed. "What say you to skipping the extortionate prices of coffee chains and getting an overdose of caffeine at mine?"

Jane shrugged. "Sure."

They walked in silence for a while, Jane once again huddled in her many layers of clothing while Zoe looked around eagerly at the snow and shops and people.

"Hey," Zoe stopped Jane with a hand on her elbow and nodded to the shop window they were just passing.

"Okay, this is a new level of immaturity, even for you," Jane said rising her eyebrows over at her friend when she saw what was on the display.

Zoe laughed. "Well as cool as they look, I was thinking more for Ben and Bella. You know your kids?"

That earned her a smack on the shoulder.

"Oh come on," Zoe implored. "Which one is their favourite. I can't keep my status as fun Auntie Zoe if I don't get them some really cool presents."

Jane moved her scarf down from her mouth so Zoe could see a small smile twitch her lips upwards.

"Good idea?" Zoe asked feeling her own smile answer Jane's.

Jane rolled her eyes. "I'm afraid that my mothering skills have failed and agree that yes, my offspring are fans of the so called superheroes."

"What? Not a fan?" Zoey asked in all innocence, knowing full well that her friend although grateful for the Avengers efforts in saving their city from an alien invasion (and wasn't that a crazy thought) wasn't all aboard the superhero train like the rest of the world seemed to be.

"Come on," Zoe continued as Jane merely raised an eyebrow at her. "Which one is their favourite?"

Reluctantly Jane pointed to two of the action figures in the shop display.

"Really?" Zoe felt her own eyebrows at the choices. "Captain and the Archer? Yeah your right, your mothering skills really have failed."

Another smack on the arm. "Ow," Zoe protested. "You know I'm gonna bruise if you keep on doing that."

"You'll live," Jane shrugged. "So you getting them? I give you my full permission."

"Good to know," Zoe said still pouting, "but I think the lure of caffeine is too strong for even my shopping urge to win right now."

"Now you're finally talking sense," Jane answered flashing her a smile.

"Come on let's head – oh no wait a minute," Zoe quickly ran away from a spluttering Jane and crouched down next to a man. "Here." Fishing out a 10 dollar bill from her purse, she gently pressed it into the man's hands, smile dropping as she felt the man's cold skin.

"Thank-you Ma-am," the man said politely, tipping her hat to her. Zoe smiled sadly at that, homeless were always so polite, where as the rich just seemed to be full of rudeness, Tony Stark being a giant bill board for that message, even if he did occasionally save the world.

"Nice hat," she said in way of a reply, before getting up and hurrying back to Jane who was shaking her head at her.

"What," Zoey shrugged as they both turned to begin walking down the street again. "Even if you don't normally, you should always give at Christmas."

"You're insufferable, you know that?"

"Yet, you love me anyway."

"God knows why," Jane said but she grinned over at Zoe before tugging her scarf back up to cover her mouth.

"I provide entertainment?" Zoey guessed with a laugh.

"That's putting it one way," came Jane's muffled response.

This time it was Zoey who smacked Jane lightly on the arm. "Shut up," she said, "we'll get to caffeine sooner if you don't talk."

The rest of the five minute walk back to Zoe's home was indeed conducted in silence.

Zoey lived in a nondescript block of flats, the grey building blending in with the sea of grey surrounding it. Nothing special to be said about it apart from the fact that it had been Zoe's home for 5 years now and she loved it.

Entering the security door, Jane hurried past Zoe, with a relieved groan. "Oh thank God. Heat," she moaned, looking like she was going to practically melt with relief.

"So dramatic." Zoe shook her head at her friends antics, while closing the door firmly behind her. "You can't have been that cold."

"Do you even exist in the same world?" Jane turned back to glare at Zoe. "It was freezing out there!"

"Of course it was Princess. Now move your ass, or do you not want that caffeine?"

Jane pretended to glare for a few seconds more before she hurried over to the lift.

"You know for a friend, you spend an awful lot of time glaring at me," Zoe said as she joined Jane in the lift.

"Have you met yourself?" Jane replied dryly. "I surprised you even have friends."

Zoe heaved a great dramatic sigh. "So you keep saying." she pouted over to Jane.

Jane resolutely kept staring at the slowly ascending numbers on the lift's panel. "You're pulling that face," she says, "I know you're pulling that face. I'm not looking."

Zoe whimpered and Jane's eyes flicked over to her just as the lift dinged. "Oh for the love..." Jane threw up her hands. "Fine, I love ya, now stop pulling that face, move your ass so I can get some damn coffee."

Instantly Zoe let the pout drop from her face and she grinned at her friend. "Love ya too," she said before bounding down the hall and unlocking her door.

The usual mess greeted Zoe as she dropped her keys in the dish she kept on a shelf by the door. So helpfully placed by Jane when the brunette had gotten fed up with Zoe constantly losing her keys.

"Black, no sugar?" Zoe asked Jane, gesturing for her friend to take a seat.

"Do you even have to ask," Jane replied, already settling herself on the couch.

"You might have had a sudden change in taste."

Jane scoffed. "I'm working the nights this week. I'm gonna need all the undiluted caffeine as I can get."

Zoe groaned in sympathy before heading into the kitchen and nearly leapt back out in surprise.

"Rema," Zoe hissed in as close a whisper as possible while she tried to restart her heart.

"Yo," the teen standing in the middle of her kitchen, munching happily on a slice of cake, raised a hand in greeting.

Zoe peeked around the door, making sure Jane was content with reading a magazine before pulling the kitchen door to and stepping further into the kitchen.

"How'd you get in?" she asked Rema, eyeing the black haired teen while filling up the kettle.

"Picked the lock of course," Rema shrugged.

Zoe leant against the counter top dropping her head on the chest and struggling not to sigh again. "You know most just pass me notes," she says.

"Boring," Rema says. "You got more of this cake?"

"Help yourself." Zoe waves a hand over to one of the cupboards. "I'm not going to be able to stop you am I?"

"Nope," Rema says already turning to investigate the cupboards.

Zoe sighs again. "Alright," she starts, "I've got a friend over right now who will absolutely not know of your existence. So just stay here, eat, drink, I don't care, just stay in here."

Rema waves a hand over her shoulder not even bothering to turn around as she pulls out jars and cans.

"Alright." Zoe shakes her head and finishes making the coffee.

"It looks like Martha Stewert threw up in here," Jane greets her as Zoe re-enters the living room.

"Thank-you." Zoe hands over the coffee to eager hands.

"That wasn't a compliment," Jane says.

"I take it as one," Zoe once again shrugs, looking around. The room is indeed decked out in all kinds of Christmas decorations; lights framing the window, Christmas tree standing in the corner, tinsel and wreaths hanging on every spare inch of wall. "I like it."

"You would," Jane says but then dissolves in a deep groan as she takes a sip of coffee. "O m g, that is good."

"O m g, really Jane?"

Jane blinks her eyes open, and stares stubbornly at the opposite wall. "I think Bella's been rubbing off on me."

"Oh darling," Zoe shakes her head. "I don't think you can blame this on your kid, I don't think anyone says that any more."

Jane switches to glaring over to Zoe who simply grins back. "Don't worry my lips are sealed," she begins and then allows her grin to turn to a smirk, "until embarrassing party stories are required."

"You wouldn't dare," Jane growls.

"Wouldn't I?"

Instead of answering Jane takes another sip of coffee just as a loud vibrating tingles against Zoe's thighs. Digging into her pocket, Zoe fishes out her mobile phone and smiles at the message on the screen.

"Looks like coffee break is over, your husband requires your presence once more." Zoe chucks the phone over to Jane.

Her friend groans when she reads the message. "This was why I turned my phone off," she says and throws the phone back.

"Can't leave them alone for a second can you," Zoe shakes her head.

"Men, can't live with them, can't live without them," Jane agrees. They both stand up at the same time, and Zoe hugs her friend.

"I'll see you on the 24th okay?"

Jane smiles as she pulls out of the hug. "As always. See you Zoe," Jane waves goodbye and heads to the door.

As soon as the door closes, Zoe hurries over to where she had slung her bag over one of the coat hooks. She rummages around before pulling out two notes. One written on what looked like a school notepad and the other on a torn piece of Starbucks coffee cup. The kid and homeless man.

Both held the same message that made the breath catch in her throat.

Clutching the notes in her hand, Zoe rushed back into the kitchen. Rema had moved from the cupboard, now chewing on an apple as she gazed out the window. She turned as Zoe entered however. Swallowing the piece of apple, she held Zoe's gaze for a second before saying the exact same thing that the notes had told her.

"They found you."

"Shit," Zoe swore.

* * *

 **A/N - So hopefully you liked it enough to bother reading this note. This was a challenge given to me by a friend which originally only had to be 3 chapters in length with each chapter at least 2000 words long. Yeah that's gone out of the window. This is just the prologue of what is now a planned multi-fic long series. Each fic will be based on a marvel film starting with this one taking place during the events of Iron Man 3.**

 **I won't be changing much with the canon story line although as this was a challenge to create an OC to become involved with a canon character, (something I haven't done since I was a kid) it's more of a what is going on in the background fic. The stories of the untold people in the universe. Inspired by fics such as Memories of May in the POTC fandom and Department of Archives in the Batman fandom. If you haven't read them, I highly recommend them.**

 **Also I hope this was the right place to put this fic. I wanted to put it in the Iron man category since this takes place during IM3 but I couldn't find it anywhere. Am I missing something, or is the marvel universe fics just combined into the avengers tag?**

 **Anyway hoped you enjoyed and will continue to join Zoey's adventures. Oh yeah and I'm British, so I apologize if I misspell any words or use the wrong ones completely.**


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